Modernist Abstraction is an energetic three-day painting course inspired by the remarkable work of Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, one of Britain’s most significant modernist painters and a leading figure in British Contemporary art.

Have you ever wanted to push your painting further but weren’t sure where to begin? Would you like to work more freely, more boldly and on a larger scale? This immersive course is designed to help you build confidence, embrace experimentation and develop a more personal approach to abstraction.

The course will explore her extraordinary use of colour, rhythm, movement and abstraction. Through sketchbook work and discussion, you will investigate how Barns-Graham transformed the landscapes of England, Scotland and Europe into powerful abstract paintings inspired by observation, memory and emotion.In the studio, you will take part in an immersive creative workshop exploring colour, texture, light and music as catalysts for painting. Working both indoors and outdoors, you will develop ideas from your own photographs, sketches and visual references into increasingly ambitious acrylic paintings on paper, board and canvas.

Throughout the course you will investigate composition, layering, colour relationships, expressive brushwork and surface. You will experiment with a wide range of tools and techniques while discovering how scale, gesture and colour can transform the emotional impact of a painting.

By the end of the course you will have produced a series of developmental studies alongside one or more large-scale paintings that reflect your own personal response to landscape and abstraction. This course encourages artists to discover the edge of their creativity while developing a stronger sense of individual expression.

You will take inspiration from:

• Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
• Sandra Blow
• Ben Nicholson
• Barbara Hepworth
• Patrick Heron
• Naum Gabo
• Joan Mitchell

You will:

• Develop confidence painting on a larger scale
• Gain a deeper understanding of Wilhelmina Barns-Graham’s work and its relevance to contemporary painting
• Learn practical methods for translating landscape into abstraction
• Improve your understanding of colour relationships and composition
• Explore expressive mark-making and layered acrylic techniques
• Experiment with a variety of painting tools and surfaces
• Develop a more personal visual language
• Produce one or more ambitious paintings alongside a series of preparatory studies

This course is suitable for enthusiastic beginners, developing painters and experienced artists wishing to work more freely and experimentally and is ideal for anyone interested in modernism, abstraction, expressive landscape painting and developing a more personal relationship with colour and composition. You should enjoy experimentation and be willing to challenge yourself creatively in a supportive environment.

Included

On this course the College will supply most of the materials, including a 100cm x 100cm canvas (which should fit in your car but please check), 80 x 80cm canvas and some thick cartridge paper (300gsm) per student, plus some acrylic paint in various colours, household paint in various colours, blackboard paint and sandpaper to share amongst the group.

What students need to bring

Please bring a selection of printed landscape photographs, sketches or previous paintings that you would like to use as starting points for larger compositions. Wear clothing and footwear suitable for painting and walking to any outdoor sessions. Please bring an apron and any favourite brushes or acrylic paints if you wish. Be prepared to work on large surfaces, embrace experimentation and step beyond your usual painting practice.

Additional information

Please wear appropriate clothing/aprons for the workshop or studio, this includes stout covered footwear (no sandals or open toes).

Arrival day - first date of course
Residential students can arrive from 4pm, non-residential students to arrive by 6.45pm for registration  
Student welcome, followed by dinner: 6.45pm (dinner included)
Teaching session: 8pm-9pm (attendance is essential)

Daily timetable
Course teaching: 9.15am-5pm  
Morning session: 9.15am-12.45pm including coffee/tea break  
Lunch break: 12.45pm-2pm (lunch included)  
Afternoon session: 2pm-5pm including coffee/tea break  
Teaching finishes: 5pm    
Evening working: students may have access to workshops until 9pm, but only with permission from the tutor and provided any health and safety guidelines are observed.

Departure day - last date of course
Course teaching: 9.15am-3pm (lunch included)  
Teaching finishes: 3pm  

Residential students will need to check out of rooms by 10am.
Please note, the tutor may make slight variations to the daily timetable as required.

Terms & Conditions